Church Camp
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)
Today you get a taste of what the youth at camp have been studying this week and taught by their pastors, led by their directors and counselors, and hopefully taking to heart as they went through the activities and prayed, sang, played, and heard God's Word each and every hour. If you are a dad or granddad/uncle/family friend, it can give you something to talk to the child/youth about when see them. If you aren't a member at Hope or don't live in Lubbock, it will give you a glimpse of life in West Texas.
On the south end of the canyon in the panhandle, an area referred to as "Ceta Canyon," the camp we take part in took place this week. "Ceta Glen" is the portion of the camp we meet in and have historically for about 90 years or so, dating back to a generation who has since gone to be with the Lord.
The buildings are newer.... well, most of them are, but the Spirit is present where one or two are gathered, including in the arroyo or gulch we call home for a week every summer.
Anyway...
When you hear "minor prophets," what comes to mind? "The Onion" ran an article a few years ago which talked about the "minor prophets" being moved up to the majors (baseball reference). Tech alum and Ranger third baseman Josh Jung was recently assigned to the minors after starting the season in a hitting slump.
Minor prophets carry weighty and profound messages though. It's not the lack of depth, but rather the brief manner in which they write God's Word that He speaks to and through them. Micah is no exception. Micah lived at the time of Isaiah, and reflects some of the same message that Isaiah preached.
The passage from Micah was the theme passage for camp this past week. I went to the camp to visit on Wednesday along with Michael Thomann, and we saw evidence of the message on team names the campers had developed and painted on signs that hung in an order - 1 - 10 - on a board. "Camp Olympics" is how they rank and keep track of the winning team. Trying to create a team name that is both unique to the liking of the kids coming up with a name and that fits the camp team is a challenge. One I remember was the "Humble Hippos." For a guy from Houston, that reads "'Umble 'Ippos" because the "h" is silent on the town of Humble, named after the man who found Humble Oil (today known as Exxon).
Anyway...
God gives us several goals in the passage for life in what He "requires of us:" Do justice; love kindness; and walk humbly with Him. How's your scorecard look so far? Yeah, mine too. Continuing with baseball, I'm in t-ball. I love kindness, as long as it makes me look good. Justice? As long as it proves my point. Walk humbly should be "walk proudly and think you are God from time to time."
God redirects us through His Word to remind us daily of what He desires for us, not just commands. To be in unity with God removes much of what is broken in this world. This passage reflects part of the building blocks on what it means to be a "child of God," a phrase used from birth to age 99 (or older). It's why we have camps periodically (men fancy them up and call them retreats but they are the same thing). We do these things to redirect our attention to the importance of being in His Word, prayer and activities in the community from the Body of Christ (His church) to help people who don't know Him hear His Word and respond.
I'm praying this Word takes root in these kids' lives and hearts. I'm praying it takes root in mine (and yours too). I'm praying we learn from them and mentor them to grow into disciples on their own by watching us as examples of disciples, which puts a great deal of responsibility on me to shape up. Amen.